island, the smaller of the two principal islands of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, separated from South Island by Cook Strait. It rises to a central mountain range (a continuation of the South Island range), which parallels the east coast and reaches its highest point at the volcanic Mount Ruapehu (Ruapehu, Mount) (9,176 feet 【2,797 metres】). Rainfall, heaviest in the winter months, tends to be more evenly distributed than it is on South Island. North Island has the great majority of the national population and is gaining an increasingly larger proportion, concentrated in the vicinity of the major urban areas, Wellington (the national capital) and Auckland. Area 44,872 square miles (116,219 square km). Pop. (2006) 3,120,303.